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fey Re my flbircs to the internal lateral part of the lower jaw, between the oblique prominent line and the bafis under the firft four deities molar es and the caninus; the anterior and grcateft part of the other fibres of each portion run obliquely from before, backward to the middle tendon, in which they are regularly fixed, the anterior fibres being the fhorteff, and a final! triangular void fpace being formed between them and the iymphyiis of the chin. The pofterior fibres of each por- tion which make about a fourth part of the whole, run like- wile on each lidc of the os hyoides, and are infer ted along the lower ettee of its anterior or convex fide, and from thence a little upward. Wwjlevfs Anatomy, p. 254. It has its name from the os hyoides, and the Greek /*&«, the dentes molares.
MYLON, in furgery, is ufed for the largcft tumours of the ftaphylontatous kind in the cornea and uvea of the eyes Helper's Surgery, p. 423. See the article Staphyloma. MYOCEPHALUS, a name given by fome authors to the di> ftemperature of the eyes, commonly known by the name of a ftaphyloma. Heijler's Surgery, p. 423. MYODKS Platyfma, a name given by fome anatomical writers to what is called by others the quadratus gense ; it is a mufcu- laf expanfion in the neck. MYOPARO, among the Romans, a kind of (hip, which partly refembled a mcrchant-fhip, and partly a ihip of war, and was thafwhicli pirates moftly ufed. Pitt ft. in voC. MYOPIA. See the article Short-sightedness. MYOPSj Fly-eyed^ a word ufed to exprefs a pcrfofi who Is
fhort-fighred or pore-blind. Myots, in natural hiftory, the Ox Fly, an infefl ufually con- founded with the breeze fly, but really differing very much from it. This is common in woods and about path- ways, and never fixes on any other creatures except oxen. It has a long and fomewhat flat body, and is of a blackifh grey in colour. MYOSOTIS, Moufe-Ear, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower is of the rofaceous kind, confuting of feveral leaves ranged in a circular order. The piftil, which arifes from the cup, be- comes at length a feed-veiTel, of the fhape of a bull's horn, open at the end, and containing fmallroundifli feeds affixed to a placenta.
Thejpectesof Myofotis, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe: 1. The broad-leaved Alpine Myofotis. 2. The woolly Myofotis, with broad leaves, refemblmg thofe of toad-flax.
3. The woolly Myofotis, with narrower toad-flax leaves.
4. The hoary creeping Myofotis. 5. The Spanifh corn Myofotis. 6. The hairy field Myofotis, with large flowers. 7. The hairy field Myofotis with fmall flowers. 8. The clammy and hairy field Myofotis. 9. The fmall er hairy Myo- fotis. 10. The knot-grafs-leaved field Myofotis. 11, The narrow-leaved woolly and vifcous Alpine Mysjotis. 12. The low myrtle-leaved Alpine Myofotis. 13. The Myofotis with very fine ridged leaves. 14. The large-flowered Portugal Myo- fotis, with toad-flax leaves. Town, Inft. p. 244.
In the Linnaean fyftem of botany, the characters of the Myofo- tis arc thefe : The cup Is an oblong erect perianthium, (lightly divided into five fegments at the extremity, and remaining when the flower is fallen. The flower is compofed of only one petal, in form of a cylindric tube, fhort, and (lightly di- vided into five at the extremity ; the jags being rimmed round, and obtufe ; and the opening of the flower clofed by five convex prominent fcales. The ftamina are five very fhort filaments, placed in the neck of the tube. The anthers are fmall, and covered. The piftil has four germina. The ftyle is (lender, and of the length of the tube of the flower. The ftigma is obtufe. The cup remains, and holds four oval feeds. Liimai Gen. Plant, p. 56.
MYRACOPON, a name ufed by fome authors for an oint- ment intended to be ufed to the whole body to prevent lati- tude. It is defcribed by Galen.
MYRICA, in botany, a name by which fome authors call the plant tamariflt. Cbabraus, p. 75.
MYRINX, a word ufed by fome to exprefs the membrane of the tympanum in the ear.
MYRIOPHYLLUM, inbotanv, the name of a genus of plants, called by others, pentapterophyllum. The characters are thefe : It produces both male and female flowers diftinct on the fame plant. In the male flower the perianthium is compofed of four oblong and erect leaves ; the exterior one being large, the interior one much fmaller. There is no corolla. The fta- mina are eight capillary filaments, which are longer than the cup. Thefe are of a loofe flaccid ftrueture. The anthers: are oblong. The female flowers always Hand below the male. The perianthium is divided into a number of fegments. The' piftil has four germina of an oblong figure. There are no ltyles ; but the ftigmata are hoary. The feeds are placed four together, and are of an oblong figure. Linntei Gen. Plant, p. 45q . Ponteder. Anth. 18. faillant, A&. Germ 17 1 9- Dillon. Gen. 7.
MYRMECIAS Lapis, the Wart Stone, a name given by fome authors to a (tone covered on the furface with wart-Uke ex- crefcences. It is a name of a very vague figrancation, fome ot the itones called by it being mere flints, and others owine their protuberances to coralloidc bodies, the wires of afteri* ivppt. Vol. II.
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or other of the extraneous foffils contained in them, and ft lodged, that their ends juft (land out. MYKMECITES, in natural hiftory, a name given by fome authors to a fmall (tone, with fome imaginary refemblancc of an ant in its fhape. Others have alfo made it the name of fuch pieces of amber as contain an ant, orthelegs, wim>s or other fragment or remains of that little animal.
MYRMECOPHAGA, the Art-Eater, the name given by Linnaeus to the creature called by others, the tamandua-macu, or ant-bear.
The name is derived from the Greek ftop/«!|, an ant, and <fyi, to eat. The creature is fo called becaufe his food is ants, which he eats by thrufting his long tongue into their nefts, and drawing it back into his mouth when covered with them.
This, in the Linnaean fyftem of zoology, is a diftinct oemis of animals, the characters of which are, that they have no teeth ; have feet formed not for climbing, but walking, and have eight abdominal paps, fix on the belly, and two on the breaft. Litinm Syft. Nat. p. 34.
MYRMILLO, among the Romans, a kind of gallic armour ufed in theatrical fhews. But fome will have it to be the fame chat Achilles's myrmidones wore; whence it had this name. Pitifi. in voc.
MYROBALANS {Cycl.}— It is very evident from the writings of the antient Greeks, that what we at this time call the My- riiaUn was not known to them under that name, and per- haps what they called fo is not known to us at this time ; our Myrobalatts being a fort of plums, and theirs being a dry fruit, rather of the nut-kind, and ufed in perfumed unguents, and other compofitions of that kind, to give them a fcent. This variation from the original fenfe of the word is not new, how- ever, and the authors who began it are fo far back, that it feems to have been an error of as old a date as any of this kind.
MYROBATINDUM, in botany, a name given by Vaillanf to a genus of plants, which, with the camara of Plumier, and and the pfeudoviburnum of Rivinus, is included by Linnaeus under one general character, by the name lantana. Vaillant, Act. Germ. 1722. See the article Lantana.
MYRRH {Cycl.) — It is an apophthegm of chemifts, derived from Van Helrhont, that whoever can make Myrrh foluble by the human body, has the fecret of prolonging his days. And Boerhaave owns there feems to be truth in this from its refitting putrefaction. He himfclf, and other chemifts before him, have given methods for making folutions of Myrrh, but only by means of alcohol. It feems not a little furprizing that fuch great chemifts ihould never find out that Myrrh is foluble in common water. Pemberton, Lond. Difp.
MYRRHINA Vafa, in antiquity. See the articles Murrine, and Morrhina.
MYRRHIS, in botany, the name of a genus of umbelliferous plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower is of the rofaceous kind, compofed of feveral unequal petals, which are arranged in a circular order, on a cup which afterwards becomes a fruit, compofed of two long feeds, refembling the beak of a bird, which are ftriated and gibbofe on one fide, and fmooth and plain on the other.
The fpecies of Myrrhis, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe: J. The greater Myrrhis, or fweet cicutaria. 2. The annual Myrrhis, with fmooth ftriated feeds. 3. The little white-flowered perennial Myrrhis, with hairy leaves, and gold-coloured feeds. 4. The yellow perennial Myrrhis with daucus leaves. 5. The tuberous or knotty Myrrhis. 6. The hoary annual Myrrhis, with ftriated hairy feeds. 7. The broad leaved white flowered marih Myrrhis. 8. The broad- leaved red-flowered marfti Myrrhis. 9. The long-feeded daucus-Iike mountain Myrrhis. 10. The hairy-feeded an- nual Portugal Myrrhis, with parfnep leaves. II. The tri- foliate Canada Myrrhis, looking like angelica, and called by fome the trifoliate American angelica. Tourn. Inft. p. 315. The feeds of the common fweet cicely, or wild chervil, are a very powerful diuretic and promoter of the menfes. They are good in jaundices, and beginning dropfies , and in the gravel and ftone.
MYRRHITES Lapis, in natural hiftory, a name ufed by many of the antient authors for a femi-pellucid ftone of the nature of the agates ; and fecming to have been the yellow cornelian of the moderns.
MYRTIDANON, a word ufed by the old Greek writers on medicine, but in a different fenfe bv different authors. Hippocrates calls it a round fruit, which the Pcrfians in his time called pepper, and which probably had all the heating qualities of that fruit. Diofcorides exprefies it by an excrefcence common on the trunk of the myrtle, and which, as he ob- ferves, is more aftringent than the myrtle itfelf. Myrtidanum vinum alfo fignified wine impregnated with myrtle.
MYRTIFORMIS Nafi, {Cycl.) in anatomy, a name given by Santorini, and fome others, to one of the mufcles of the face, called by Albinus, deprejfar aim nafi, and by Cowper and others, depreffor labii fvpirwris, con/lridar al<z nafi.
MYRTITES, the name of a compofition in the antient phar- macy, made of fine honey, and the depurated juice of myrtle berries boiled up together to a confiftence
a C MYRTLE,
